#inovel

I meet Alex in college because we take the same class that is a requirement for our shared majors. Some people call it fate, but I think we call it obligation. We were obligated to meet because we needed to graduate eventually.

Nothing more and nothing less.

Fate can’t decide how on a random afternoon I offer to drive him home because it’s over a hundred degree heat and we live in the same apartment complex. Fate also doesn’t decide that we have more classes together because of lower divisions.

I don’t even like him.

He’s weird and standoffish and his hair is stupid. Really stupid in the way it covers up his whole face and he wears this dumb beanie in the middle of summer and I feel like sweating when I look at him.

He doesn’t even like me either. I have bright red dyed hair and somewhat questionable fashion. I’m both loud and quiet, sweet and annoying, and just the right amount of ditzy to make everyone think I’m stupid.

(I’m only kinda stupid. The kind that is book smart, but still dumb. That’s me.)

We. Talk.

We talk in that strained way that people are classmates and oh god I have to be partnered with you? Okay, thanks life. I guess I’ll accept this and I pray you don’t fuck up because I want that A.

(We don’t.)

He gets a haircut and for some reason his face is less annoying. It’s more open and I can see his eyes as he smiles for once and holy fuck I think he’s really cute? When did this happen? Oh god, be normal because you need him to help you with your homework.

But Alex looks handsome and he’s smart and kinda funny if you get to know him and I can’t believe Irene wondered if we were dating already like weeks ago before the dumb haircut because did we already seem to have chemistry? I’m in college. Chemistry is a course I don’t need to take. I’m in the humanities after all.

We talk more. He sends me pictures of his sister’s rings because they look like the ones I wear. We talk more and I like him more and oh god is he making my heart pound? He’s making my heart pound because I’m getting home from a party and he wants to walk me to my apartment and it’s the middle of the night and--

--we jump over my first floor balcony rail and giggle like mad in the middle of grass in the courtyard because we can. There are stars outside and we’re out in the middle cold together because we can.

He holds me close and I lean into his touch as we talk about things I don’t remember, but I’m feeling free and happy and he falls asleep with his head in my lap and I sleep only one hour that night. My roommate catches me on the couch with him as he’s sleeping and I’m falling and falling and falling--

In love

we say a few days later. We’ve only been dating for four days, but we say “I love you” and there has been no plan because fate didn’t decide that I would fall for Alex.

But I did.

I did in the way he makes me laugh, in the way he teaches me something new, in the way he gave me a chance because he chose to.

I fall in love with Alex, feet first without thinking because scripts are no longer needed.